White House says it’s not considering a national 5G network

Yesterday, Axios reported that the Trump administration was considering the option of a government-controlled 5G network. Documents obtained by Axios showed that Trump's national security team had proposed a couple of options, including one where the US government funds and constructs a single network, aimed at protecting US networks from Chinese cyberattacks. However, Recode now reports that those documents were outdated and their proposed plans are not actively being considered by the administration.

Recode's White House sources said that not only was the document old, it was also not any sort of serious proposal on the National Security Council's part. The idea had been put out there by a staff member, but was not part of any major upcoming policy shifts and likely never would be.

Today, FCC Chair Ajit Pai released a statement opposing such an idea saying, "The main lesson to draw from the wireless sector's development over the past three decades -- including American leadership in 4G -- is that the market, not government, is best positioned to drive innovation and investment." Pai added, "Any federal effort to construct a nationalized 5G network would be a costly and counterproductive distraction from the policies we need to help the United States win the 5G future."